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- Page navigation anchor for Attitudes of secondary care educational supervisors towards general practiceAttitudes of secondary care educational supervisors towards general practice
We read with interest and sadness of the negative portrayal in newspapers of general practice1 as this undoubtedly has an influence on medical students perception of GP as a career choice. A further reported negative influence are clinical teachers: 70% of medical students are reported to have been exposed to negativity directed towards GPs in clinical settings.2 This phenomenon has rarely been studied from the secondary care clinician’s perspective and so we undertook a small survey to explore the attitudes towards GPs of hospital specialist undergraduate educational leads in one University Hospital Trust.
Twenty respondents filled an anonymous survey of questions related to their personal attitudes towards general practice, any experiences of GP denigration within education they may have witnessed and their impression of students’ perception towards general practice.
Seven of the twenty respondents had witnessed overt criticism of GPs by staff in front of students: the recurrent themes included inappropriate referrals, inadequate consultation times, insufficient specialist knowledge and poor working conditions. Respondents reported concerns about the effect these comments would have on student enthusiasm for general practice as a career.
Interestingly, expressed attitudes of educators towards GPs was evenly split between negative, neutral and positive. Most were sympathetic to the constraints placed on G...
Show MoreCompeting Interests: None declared. - Page navigation anchor for General practice in UK newspapers: an empirical analysis of over 400 articlesGeneral practice in UK newspapers: an empirical analysis of over 400 articles
Denigration of GPs in the media has been particularly rife in recent times but depicting GPs as clinically incompetent, and lacking in virtues (lazy, uncommitted and greedy) is one step too far. I find it both repugnant and offensive. GPs are the bedrock of the NHS who work selflessly and tirelessly often at the expense of their own wellbeing, family life and in some cases; their own sanity! Year on year GPs are voted by the public as being the most trusted and committed members of the medical fraternity and their communities. The level of dedication and good will invested by GPs in their patients is unparalleled. Are greed and laziness the driving forces responsible for 90% of the total work in the NHS being performed in general practice for 8% of the funding? No; I think not. Newspapers should take responsibility and think long and hard about their contribution to the negative portrayal of GPs and general practice. As I fear they will miss it when it’s gone.
Competing Interests: None declared. - Page navigation anchor for General practice in UK newspapers: the influence of major policy changesGeneral practice in UK newspapers: the influence of major policy changes
We read with interest the findings of Barry and Greenhalgh indicating the continuing negative portrayal of GPs in UK newspapers.1 The authors highlight that general practice is seen as a service in crisis, with low morale and high burnout, and that GPs are portrayed as being responsible for the crisis and resulting negative impacts on patient care.
Our previous studies suggested that UK newspaper coverage of general practice became unfavourable following the introduction of the new General Medical Services contract in 2004.2 Previous recognition of demanding working conditions and relatively poor rewards in general practice transformed into a predominantly negative portrayal, with concerns about unfairly excessive income and poor use of public money. The introduction of the Health and Social Care bill in 2011(3) continued this trend, with signs of eroding trust in GPs. Public perceptions of how GPs are paid will continue to damage public trust if the drive to meet pay-for-performance targets is perceived as undermining patient-centred care.
Persistent negative media coverage may also hinder GP recruitment and retention. We advise that media stories written by doctors may mitigate this unfavourable trend. We suggest that GPs should actively engage with the media to broaden the debate from costs and capacity alone to quality and equity of care.
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1. Barry E, Greenhalgh, T. General practic...Competing Interests: None declared.